Those Without Sin Cast the First Stone
Sally McCathy slips into some inconspicuous street clothes: dark jeans, a face mask, a baseball cap, and an old hoodie a size too large for her. She'd learned a thing or two about sticking to the shadows and commotion at Shiketsu was enough to get her to abandon her night studying.
If there was a fight there, if that monster Sandatsu had actually returned, she'd show him justice at the tip of .50 Cal Tank Buster round. She rushes to the elevator, being as quiet as a furious mouse. When she presses the call button, Chris steps out with a stern expression. Sally gives it no heed, pushing past as he hears her arms barrels reload a lighter round. He backs off from the elevator but keeps his eyes on the angry brunette.
"Sally: You're just going to get yourself caught and make all of this seem worse" Chris says, trying to reason with her.
"[And letting the school get attacked is the better alternative?!]" she snaps back
"[Is going back to America a trespassing delinquent better?!]" Chris says with frustration leaking through his cool facade
"[You are the LAST person who needs to be on the seen at an attack on a school Miss Gun Arms!]"
"[BUT-]"
"[No, I already called Hoge when I figured you might try something like this. What do you think Noah would say about you trying this?]" the boy asks, having planned carefully to invoke the name of her angel if it meant keeping her from getting herself killed against a threat even he didn't fully understand the scope of
Sally pauses before pressing the button for the lobby, hesitating at the precipice of what she knew could be the death of her if she was wrong about not being able to just him to pieces with rounds meant for destroying engine blocks on armored cars and light tanks. She could do three before she ran out of calories and would need a hospital, even after training with Popsy to get that up from two. Her only chance to kill him was to blow his head off, maybe a shot to the heart would do it too: that left a margin for error of one round on a foe that could travel faster than she could breathe.
"[Come on Sally: don't be stupid about this. Someone will get him, probably a whole team will]" Chris pleads, noticing her finger jittering.
He approaches the short American girl slowly, as if she were a dangerous animal with His hands raised to show he's not a threat.
"[Just go back to bed, call Noah if you need to talk to someone, talk to me if you have to: Just don't throw away everything earned so far to try and be an action star]"
Sally looks at him with worry in her eyes, a crisis of faith happening in real time front of him. She'd convinced herself that whatever was happening needed her intervention, that God was calling her to act and use her quirk in defense of the institution that gave her a chance where they shouldn't have.
She looks down the barrel of her arm: a lethal round that was just as likely to fracture her arm barrel as it was to turn Sandatsu's brain into red jelly flying in all directions at 60 miles an hour.
"[...And what if this is what I'm supposed to do, and God hates me after I run away]" she asks like a scared child.
"[Then you find another to repent other than getting yourself extradited or killed]" Chris insists with a tired sigh
"[Look: I know we don't see eye-to-eye a lot but we are still friends and classmates. Whatever Sandatsu has become... it's not something a few bullets can take down and he isn't some robber or mugger now he's....]"
"[A demon]" Sally answers with clenched fists
"[He takes, and takes... and takes some more, and gets other people to do the same]"
"[And your no excorcist]" Chris says with a curtailing voice
Sally looks away from the elevator panel, trying to convince herself she could do this, that she could banish the demon here and now.
But her greatest victory was getting a spider tank to shoot itself with ballistic gel. She breaks, walking back to her apartment while Chris nods toward her solemnly.
She spends the night trying to sleep, clutching her bible on a messy bed while repeating prayers in her head: anything to keep her mind occupied instead of thinking about how scared she was.
Her nightmares had become reality when she came back to school: like Satan had dug around in her head and manifested everything her mentors at the shooting range back home warned her about. Cameras covered every angle of the school, guards, and a new pro hero to "keep watch" over them. It didn't help that Shiketsu was under extreme scrutiny and tons of backlash because a student she never shared a word with ended up dead. The monster that she used to know as Sandatsu had attacked, almost killed Majestic and left Hiro back in the recovery ward. She'd been able to hide it for the morning, but as she sat in the stall of a girl's bathroom her mind came back to the solitary thought: she could have saved a life but let Chris talk her out of it.
She couldn't muster a scream of anger: the gleam of a tank buster round in her right arm would talk for her. She grips the arm at the elbow and claws her hand closed to try and get a grip on herself: She had no information, no transportation other than the trains, few allies, and an even bigger plot hanging over her head as Desolator's words rung back into her head.
The conspiracy against her, to make her get sent back home or do it on her own. It made her blood boil thinking about it, but the truth stood that she couldn't just hop a plane and assassinate a few alphabet agency heads. She'd get caught and sent to worse than Juvy, probably becoming some test subject for whatever MK Ultra mind control crap the CIA wanted to try on her. She racks her brain for any way around it, the cogs seeming to grind to a halt as her brain shakes in pain. Probably just a headache, but talking to herself like she was Max Payne helped make this more tolerable.
As she steps out of the stall she doesn't see, but rather feels the presence of Nyoro Hoge. She could feel the girl in the stall over, trying to recover herself after nearly getting pulled out of school right in front of the whole class. Sally knows what she should do: try and comfort her after being thoroughly embarrassed and traumatized. A part of her hesitated mimicking what Noah would do and reminded herself who Sally was to Hoge: the rebellious pain in the ass that fought her every turn and disobeyed every direction.
What would trying to help accomplish besides making things worse?
She leans on the opposite wall in choice paralysis: what should she say if she wanted to say anything? Her brainstorming is cut short by the door opening to reveal a hazy image of the taller girl, still trying to get a hold of herself and her quirk. Hoge can't even bring herself to give Sally a suspicious glare, just looking away from the gun nun as she goes to wash her hands.
"H-Hoge" Sally stammers out
The figure turns toward her for a moment on instinct.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had things that bad at home.." The American continues, her Japanese a little less clumsy-sounding
"Nobody deserves to be controlled like that" she says while averting her gaze from Hoge's obscured form, moving to wash her own hands and leave.
The class reps eyes become fully visible for a moment, Sally's sharp eyes seeing an expression of thanks for the slightest moment before her quirk obscures it. The Gun Nun tries to hide a little smile as she disappears around the corner.
Takara Tame stands in Sally's disheveled apartment, where she seems to have uprooted and deconstructed each piece of furniture. The girl herself hadn't even bothered changing out of her uniform as she tries to maintain a look of tough control. The Android could tell when Sally was putting up a front, likely unwilling to let her see past it. The exodus of students bothered her as well, though she gets the feeling Sally's worries were more concerning her paranoid feelings and belief in secret government surveillance systems that were apparent through her lunchtime rants about the subject which proved enlightening to bolstering her security protocols.
"I just wanted to ask you if you can scan for tracking devices or anything like that, just for uhm... practice" she says with darting eyes and fidgeting motions. Both were clear signs of someone having a mental breakdown induced by chronic stress.
"Sally-chan, I can scan for "bugs", but you seem to struggling very badly with your stress. I would suggest breathing exer-"
"I TRIED THOSE! JUST-" Sally yells before catching herself and clamping a hand over her mouth.
"I know they're watching me.. theirs no way they'd have done so much at school if they didn't... its all intentional, to drive me crazy so I quit and take my punishment.." she mutters with a breathy voice. By comparing it to her usual speaking voice when under extreme stress, it's apparent she was screaming at something and likely made her voice hoarse as a result. Her camera eyes adopt a kind, accepting look to try and calm Sally down as she slowly approaches the girl.
"There is nothing to be afraid of: according to both Japanese and American legal systems, the placement of surveillance devices in a personal residence is illegal. We are only monitored at school to stop any more attacks from happening-"
Sally backs away, a wounded, tired look in her eyes and Takara looks away.
"Paranoia like this should be diagnosed and treated, Shiketsu can refer you to-"
"I DON'T NEED HAPPY PILLS!!" Sally says, blowing up at Takara. The distinct sound of her arm loading a round can be heard as she tries to get a grip on herself. Takara shrinks, her logical side telling to her leave and let the episode subside. A part of her interrupts the process though. The feeling is warm like an overheating part but her diagnostics show no problems.
The android slowly approaches Sally and hugs her, slowly getting her to the ground. The risky maneuver quickly gets tears to well in the tough American's eyes, but she refuses to cry.
"Crying is clinically proven to be one of, if not the best form of relieving stress Sally: suppressing it is not advised"
"[I can't.... not here...]" she says, barely holding onto some imagined dignity as she runs to her room, shoving a few spare uniforms for school into her bag along with some casual clothes. She almost forgets a church dress and a few pairs of underwear before rushing through her bathroom. Sally gives Takara a look that screams for help.
"Please... just sweep the place for me and make sure I'm not being watched... I.. I'll go live with Chihiro till you're done.." Sally says as she leaves the robot girl.
Takara looks at the mess in front of her, and takes a deep breath to mimic Sally's own method of recovering her drive as she scans around and cleans up the apartment.
Of all places for a listening device to turn up, she finds it tucked in an air vent inside her bedroom. She keeps it for safekeeping, hoping her creator can put it in a Faraday cage.
Sally walks in the evening light along the forested path to the Mitsuragi Dojo. Usually, it was a fun treat to do this path like this, days when she got to learn from Chihiro how to fight without shooting people and how to concentrate better. She tried to get there before the sunset, but it was a losing battle. She'd exhausted herself tearing her apartment apart in a fit of paranoia. Her whole body and mind wanted to just curl up with a blanket and cry for as long as she had tears to shed.
She summons what little energy she has left to keep walking. As much as staying with Noah was her first pick for someplace to reclaim her sanity, She didn't want her boyfriend dragged into her problems. She couldn't trust anyone but Rosethorn on the faculty, and she didn't know where the woman lived even on the long shot was willing to risk her job by letting a student stay at her house. Even back in Montana, she had one math teacher get fired for getting too close with a student of his.
Chihiro lived in the woods, far from Kyoto, alone, and was always willing to step in to suffer for her friends. As much as it killed her inside to knowingly use Chihiro like this she had one other aspect which made her the only real choice Sally had when considering a place to run to. The Kendo girl understood Sally's pain and had seen her cry before, meaning she didn't have to debase herself breaking down in front of someone who had no business seeing her in the state she was in.
She had finally pushed to the foot of the dojo and knocked on the door. As she waited for Chihiro to answer, she looked around at the woods around her. If she was smart and quick, she might be able to disappear here, just live in the woods and wash her clothes in the river...
Chihiro opens the door wearing one of her usual Kimono, ever the proper lady by ancient Japanese standards.
"Good Evening, Sally-Chan" she says
"H-Hi.. Uhm.. I kinda.. messed up my apartment and was wondering if you had... a spare futon.." The American says, struggling through her Japanese to talk politely while sounding like an anxious mess. Chihiro's eyes soften a bit hearing what she knows was a scared Sally.
"Yes, I have a spare Futon. I was just about to sit down for dinner and would welcome company" she says with a smile as she lets the girl in. Sally gives her sword sensei a thankful bow in response. as she slips her shoes off and sets her stuffed backpack down. The two are quiet throughout the meal, neither one for pleasantries when not required. Sally accepts the Miso Soup and rice crackers as dinner, though eating slow to not spill anything on the floor.
Chihiro's eyes caught more than just the obvious expressions of panic and fear on Sally's face but saw some more peculiar changes. For one, she sat properly on a cushion instead on lying on her side. She had already greeted her with a bow, something she only ever did when she was explicitly forced to. It's as if in this vulnerable state, Sally is adapting to Japanese customs after almost half a year in the country.
"Sally-chan, If something is wrong-" Chihiro starts
"Everything's wrong Sensei!" Sally says like a scared child, the bowl of soup shaking in her hand.
"School's a surveillance nightmare now! I had that... that fucker Desolator give me his business card so he could.." she covers her mouth like the word tasted like acid.
"help me"
Chihiro nods, reaching a hand to touch Sally's head to try and steady her: "I understand. This dilemma is stressful, and making a decision is hard"
"I can only offer you my own thoughts on the matter"
"You can overcome your sin: you only stole 2 lives. I stole many more. I may be irredeemable, but if there is a chance of you finding peace and redemption in this life, then you should take it"
"However, you will have to walk the border to a world of darkness. Take care not to let it consume you" she says in a sagely tone
Sally gulps, taking deep breaths to relax her nerves: "But.. Chris.. Chris would never forgive me if he knew.."
"... Sacrifice is needed to cleanse the soul" Chihiro says, both interpreting the phrase through their own religious views.
The two are quiet for a long while they finish, Sally silently insisting on helping with the dishes before she finds a place to rest. Shortly after, Chihiro retrieves a spare futon and opens a guest room for Sally. It was clear by the pained look on the American's face she needed time alone, and the Heir to the Dojo already seemed to think she overstepped her boundaries. Right before the black-haired girl leaves Sally, she hugs her, using her shoulder to cry on.
The Gun Nun holds onto her friend as a shipwreck survivor clings to driftwood, the one thing at this moment keeping her from the abyss.
It was 2:00 AM by this point. Sally did not have the mental energy to convert that time it was at home across the the sea.
She still had the pager number: meaningless to anyone but her. A part of her bristled that this was a trap, that the second she called this her chances of of ever living a normal life would disappear.
But what was the other plan?
She could think about the amount of people who want her to fail and go back home branded more weapon than human, but thinking about how to stop them was something she couldn't even come up with a bad idea for. These were faceless suits who'd have ruined an infant's life it meant controlling people more. These weren't Bond villains you could stop with a handgun and a seaplane, and she wasn't even John McClaine.
She takes a deep breath, and prays for safety, for forgiveness, that God will guide will grant her battles to fight to earn her soul back from this.
ring... ring.... ring
Nothing.
It takes her too long to remember pagers are practically ancient pieces of tech that couldn't take calls or send a message back, just receive. She'd seen enough at flea markets and had some as toys when she was little. Sally curls up in the futon. clutching her bible and praying to herself.
Agent Waver growls in a dingy apartment: He'd spent days trying to dig up the building plans for that one vent access: the perfect place to slip a bug that could listen to her jabbering. Sadly, that was all it got even while she uprooted her apartment: the complaints of a paranoid teenage girl who mixed in with more prayers than he cared to count. He'd hoped she'd have brought her vigilante buddies to her place or had an argument with herself about something. The whole operation was a bust, and it was over since the android girl found the thing.
Worse yet, she runs off: Law wanted to handle verifying she wasn't leaving the country and he was happy to leave the footwork to him on this. He sits down on his cot, calling his partner before he catches some sleep.
"Law Speaking"
"Takara found it and kept it. If she brings it back to her creator then we might have a problem"
"Those things are untraceable: trust me. Just because she works on hero gadgets doesn't mean she can beat NSA signal tricks"
"Any luck finding Miss Rebel?"
"Yeah, CCTV's caught her heading toward a forest near Kyoto, and I saw her enter Mitsuragi Dojo. I think she didn't clean her apartment or just needed someone else to talk to since rushed ahead on the school surveillance plan"
"It had to happen eventually: we put those in cameras in 4 months too late"
"Any villains or vigilantes in that school know someone is onto them now, and you gave Sally a panic attack. We're not trying to scare criminals, were trying to catch them"
"So you admit she's a criminal"
"Already charged for her crimes"
"Well, is she doing anything there? Or is she just complaining about Myoga and Hoge again?"
"She's exhausted, crying, and close to a psychotic break. I laid off on following her further. All were supposed to be doing to stopping her from leaving the country"
Waver gritted his teeth as he tried to silently vent his anger. She was vulnerable: if she had vigilante contacts, especially American ones, she could have called them for extraction: "Then get back here and write up the reports for tonight if your gonna half-ass this" he says before hanging up.